Head of State swears in new Council of Republic members

Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on Friday swore in three new members of the Council of the Republic and expressed the desire for greater representation in his consultation body.

President of the Republic, João Lourenço, swears in Suzeth Francisco João, religious leader, Member of the Council of Republic

The vice-president of the MPLA, Luísa Pedro Francisco Damião, was appointed due to her duties and by designation the businessman José Carlos Manuel de Oliveira Cunha and religious leader Suzeth Francisco João were also appointed.

The new members vowed to perform their new duties with zeal and dedication to respect the fundamental principles of the Constitution and to devote all knowledge and commitment to the promotion of the national unity of peace, democracy and social progress of the Angolan people.

President Lourenço considered 2019 a decisive year for the great challenges that the country faced. In this context, the president hopes to receive suggestions from the Council of the Republic to overcome "difficult situations" that the country "unfortunately" will still have to face.

The Head of State said he wanted more women to enter the consultation body because he understood that the male representation was still large.

The Council of the Republic is an organ of consultation of the President of the Republic and includes the vice president of the Republic, the speaker of the National Assembly, Chairperson of the Constitutional Court, the attorney general of the republic, leaders of political parties with parliamentary seats and invited entities.